Dogs Show Off Their Agility Skills

By Christina Vitale&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Sun 3:18 PM, Jul 29, 2007&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Sun 3:54 PM, Jul 29, 2007

These athletes may drool and have a little more hair than what we are used to seeing in the sports world. Furry or not, these dogs come out with their game face on, ready to beat out the competition. Dogs of all skill levels and sizes compete in several different contests.

Bonnie Bailey is a dog handler from Tallahassee. "It's testing the physical ability of the dogs to execute all the obstacles but it's also testing their communication system with the handler. The handler is the leader of the team, and the handler is calling out the direction to the dog and they have to be able to follow the directions that are given to them."

Rick Peffer is the President of the Tallahassee Dog Obedience Club. "They don't go right because you tell them to. They go because your body motion directs them to go right. You have to turn your shoulders, you have to direct them with your hands. It's really the teamwork between the dog and the owner."

The special bond between the dog and handler gets the dogs ready and excited to take on the course. Sara Stege is a dog handler from Tallahassee. "They get very happy and you can pretty much tell because they are just all over the place and some of them actually bark the whole time their out there."

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